


Like Father, Like Daughter

by savanting



Category: Mulan (2020)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Cute, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Meeting the Parents, One Shot, Post-Canon, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting
Summary: Hua Zhou was once a legendary warrior, but now he faces his greatest challenge: meeting a young man who seems positively smitten with his daughter. One-Shot.
Relationships: Chen Honghui/Fa Mulan | Hua Mulan (Disney), Fa Mulan | Hua Mulan & Fa Zhou | Hua Zhou (Disney)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 351





	Like Father, Like Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any Disney properties. This is just fluff, pure fluff, about what Hua Zhou might be thinking when he meets Chen Honghui for the first time.
> 
> Thanks go out to Dianne for suggesting this idea for a fic! I appreciate the inspiration. :)

There were few things Hua Zhou valued more than the two daughters he had been blessed to father. Little Xiu, with her apple-blossom cheeks and ever-present smile, and Mulan, a bundle of curiosity and ferocity.

When Zhou would take them to the family shrine, the phoenix statue glistening in the sunlight, he would hold their hands in his and guide them inside.

“Never forget,” he would tell them. “The phoenix watches over all of us. She is not just a beautiful creature, but one who is immortal and true.”

“ _Baba_ ,” Mulan said, tugging on his sleeve, “do you think I’ll ever get to meet her?”

Zhou just squeezed her hand. “Wherever you go, she will follow.”

Those words were truer than he had known.

*

Zhou sat in the garden, the babble of the pond lingering in the air, his limbs tired just from the short walk he had taken. He looked up at the overhanging branches of the magnolia tree, whose flowers were blooming with the tide of warmer weather. Even though he was getting older with each and every day and feeling the strain of it, there were still moments when he could just stop and feel a sense of peace with his surroundings.

His reverie was interrupted as he heard the grass crinkle underfoot.

“ _Baba_ ,” Mulan said, appearing in Zhou’s view. Unlike her usual manner, she looked . . . hesitant. “There’s a visitor for us. Would you – would you like to meet him?”

Zhou’s eyes skirted past Mulan to see a young man not far off, his eyes furrowed in what looked like worry. Without even a word more, Zhou knew what this sudden visitation meant. No man had come calling to the house since Xiu’s matchmaking ceremony several weeks past.

It was not a good thing for fathers when young men came to their homes.

With some difficulty, Zhou stood up, even as Mulan reached out to grab his arm if he stumbled. He waved her off and straightened his back as best he could. He did not want to appear weak in front of this newcomer, especially since he had come for Zhou’s elder daughter. All Zhou needed to see was that Mulan’s eyes kept swiveling between him and the young man to know that this was indeed going to be a very hard predicament.

Mulan quietly gestured for the young man to step forward, and he did, bowing his head in respect and greeting.

“ _Baba_ , this is—”

“I think the young man can speak for himself, Mulan,” Zhou said. He hadn’t intended for his voice to sound so sharp, but it came out the wrong way because he was feeling the weight of his age in comparison with the sprightly young man who appeared to be built strong and sturdy in ways Zhou had not known himself to be for a long, long time.

The young man bowed his head again. “Forgive me, Hua Zhou, I was just struck speechless by your presence. The Imperial Army still speaks of you and your legacy to this day.”

Zhou nearly raised his eyebrows. It seemed the young man was one for flattery to slip from his tongue. That wasn’t exactly the kind of man Zhou had ever thought Mulan would fancy. “Well,” Zhou said, coughing slightly, “I would hope my legacy isn’t so great since I’m not dead and burned yet. Now – what is your name, young man?”

“Chen Honghui,” the young man said. “When your daughter saved the emperor, I was one of her comrades. I would not be alive now if it weren’t for her strength and perseverance.”

Zhou might have smiled at that, if he hadn’t seen the blush that tinged Mulan’s cheeks, and his look probably noticeably soured on his face. _It seems there truly is a contender for her heart._ That realization alone was staggering – not because Mulan was unworthy of being wed, as the matchmaker had tried to convince, but because he knew no man could measure up to all the qualities his daughter possessed. Even before she had taken the helm of a warrior and fled into the night, she had been the type of girl Zhou would be sorry to see take leave from his home forever.

But Mulan’s expression right then – Zhou wondered if he should have worried less about the man who would be worthy of her in her father’s eyes and more about the man she would deem worthy for herself.

Not that he would make it easy for either of them. Xiu’s own match had undergone an interrogation the likes Zhou hadn’t exercised since his days in the Imperial Army. This Honghui would probably have a worse fate than that.

“Thank you,” Zhou said, his voice somewhat stiff. He wanted to err on the side of caution before showing much emotion in front of this young interloper. “Your words show me once again how my daughter has brought honor to both her family and her country.”

To Zhou’s surprise, Honghui laughed. “I highly doubt your daughter could be anything but an honorable addition to any family.” Then the humor on his face disappeared, as he likely realized the gravity of what he had just said. Even Mulan, usually not the kind to pick up on such cues, looked embarrassed and a little pleased by what Honghui had just said.

Zhou just stared at the two and wondered when his daughter had grown up into a woman who could be besotted by a young man. Just a year ago, she had been more interested in swordsmanship than her appearance before men. In that moment, watching her, Zhou was reminded of how he had stuttered the first time he had spoken to Li, the woman who became his future wife.

It seemed that every flower had to bloom at some point, no matter how the roots may have felt about it. And his daughter – she would always be the most beautiful flower of all to him, no matter if she blossomed away from his watch and care.

Zhou held back a sigh before addressing the burgeoning young couple, “I would be very honored to host my daughter’s comrade for dinner – if that is agreeable with you, Chen Honghui.”

Honghui’s eyes lit up, and Zhou couldn’t help noticing Mulan’s mouth twitch with barely concealed mirth. “I would like that very much,” Honghui said.

Zhou nodded. So it would be. “It’s settled then.”

Hua Zhou may not have thought any man was good enough for his daughter, but he would choose his battles. This particular battle, he decided, was one well worth the loss – if only because Mulan looked too happy for words.

With that, Mulan’s father was satisfied.


End file.
